On the use of OWL Reasoning for Evaluating Access Control Policies

We present a Description Logics approach to the management of XACML policies. We explain how policies can be mapped to a DL axiomatization, and how authorization requests can be answered using standard DL reasoning tools. Our model represents a valid substratum for managing policies whose expressivity can not be captured by standard engines. Furthermore, advanced security functionalities, as Policy Harmonization and Policy Explanation, can be implemented in the context of the present model.